Curated OER
Storytellers: Pearl Jam
Young scholars examine the concept of freedom of speech as it applies to music. They watch and discuss the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion about free speech, conduct research, and conduct a debate.
Curated OER
Are We Free Yet?
Learners read excerpts from several Freedom Documents, evaluate amount of freedom guaranteed by each document, and rank documents on scale to determine which grant greatest and least amount of personal freedom.
Curated OER
Whose God?
Students investigate religious freedom in the U.S. They watch and discuss a Bill Moyers NOW video, take a Freedom of Religion quiz, write an essay, and participate in a mock trial and debate.
Curated OER
Star Spangled Banner
Students use the Internet to discover the basic information about the American Flag. They explore how to fold a flag and which holidays to use the flag. They compare Betsy Ross's flag to the ones of today. They discover the story of the...
Curated OER
Creating A Bill Of Rights In Space
Students define rights, analyze and apply the U.S. Bill of Rights to hypothetical situations, and create an Intergalactic Bill of Rights.
Curated OER
Rome: Republic to Empire
Sixth graders discuss the rise of Rome from a republic to a dictatorship. In small groups, they role-play as congress people debating whether or not to give the president more powers. In another activity, 6th graders produce television...
Curated OER
A New Federation
Learners describe the relationships between state and federal parliaments in Australia. They identify responsibilities shared between federal and state and territory governments. Students explore an alternative federal structure by...
Curated OER
Free Speech or Hate Speech?
Students see the difference between protected and prohibited speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment. They explain why free speech is essential to a democracy and consider how best to deal with speech they find offensive.
Curated OER
Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the period of time from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. They analyze and interpret political cartoons and editorials, conduct research on famous civil rights places, and complete...
Curated OER
Rights And Responsibilities: Debating Free Speech, Responsibility And Censorship on Campus
Students weigh rights of students and others to free speech versus the responsibilities that come with those rights.
Curated OER
I Am a Book
Third graders discuss books that have been banned and the things that they have in common. They explore the concept of freedom of speech and write poems based on their discussion.
Curated OER
Post Civil War Reconstruction
Learners analyze the process of Reconstruction after the Civil War. In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss specific details about Reconstruction with the class, then complete a worksheet with multiple activities reinforcing...
Curated OER
Building a Human Rights Document
Students identify the issue of basic human rights, examine the importance of the UDHR, and compare it to United States Bill of Rights. They create a definition of human rights as a class. Students are divided into groups of four and...
Curated OER
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
For this Dr. Martin Luther King activity worksheet, learners use the 43 clues to identify the words needed to complete the crossword puzzle.
Curated OER
Where Do We Go From Here?
Eighth graders examine the impact of Reconstruction on South Carolina. In this Reconstruction activity, 8th graders use primary documents to research sharecropping and freedman's contracts in the agricultural South following the end of...
Curated OER
Who Is Sarah Mae Fleming?
Fifth graders learn about two influential women. In this historical figures lesson, 5th graders work in groups to read articles about Rosa Parks and Sarah Fleming and share their findings with the class. Students use a Venn...
Curated OER
Racism: Law and Attitude
High schoolers examine discrimination laws. In this racism lesson, students compare and contrast de facto and de jure discrimination. High schoolers also explore the Bill of Rights and determine what makes some acts and speech illegal.
Curated OER
Writing Exercises: Science and Technology II
All revolutions in science and technology have both pros and cons. Kids examine the advent of the green revolution, nuclear growth, use, and the countries that are considered nuclear powers. They'll construct three responses to each of...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights
Ninth graders examine various Supreme Court Cases. In this American Government instructional activity, 9th graders research a specific Supreme Court Case. Students create a multiple choice assignment based on their assigned...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...
Annenberg Foundation
Controversial Issues in Practice
Wow! This resource provides three related lessons on the First Amendment that challenge US government students to explore their personal opinion on the separation of church and state. Each lesson can be adjusted in length, but is...
Illustrative Mathematics
Electoral College
A cross-curricular resource that takes the electoral votes and allows your learners to organize and analyze the data. Young voters can determine which states are more influential and interpret the dotplot provided for more data....
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Bushwhacked
In this historical events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons that feature caricatures of President George W. Bush. Students respond to 3 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Liberty vs. Security
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about civil liberties and respond to 3 talking point questions.